[ SECRET POST #2667 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2667 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 041 secrets from Secret Submission Post #381.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Re: Non-fandom secrets!

[chardmonster]

Oh, you teach.

I hate to say it, but the behavior of the international relations students I've had at my own university kind of indicates that they're used to being spoonfed and not having to read in detail.

This is... kind of disconcerting. You know we're teaching adults, right? Of course you should be kind about it, I see no point to lingering so the rest of the class can point and laugh. But people in a classroom should expect to be called on. That's part of the point.

Re: Non-fandom secrets!

[herpymcderp]

Hahaha I wasn't teaching adults. I was teaching teens. I think you can imagine the differences.

And... I used to teach. I liked it fine, but I decided to move on.

Re: Non-fandom secrets!

[chardmonster]

I was talking to the anon you responded to.

Re: Non-fandom secrets!

[diet_poison]

that...is the entire point of the post, though. OP specifically said they didn't mind cold-calling, it was the lingering thing for the embarrassment of the student that bothers them.

Re: Non-fandom secrets!

[chardmonster]

Oh, I know! Not talking to OP.

Re: Non-fandom secrets!

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not sure where you teach, nor does it particularly matter to me, but students who share a major or a discipline share only that. I taught German language and culture courses starting out, and between those and what I teach now I also taught courses pertaining to the EU, UN and a more specific course about relations in Europe. You may think the students in this field are a certain way at where you teach but where I teach the field attracts a variety of students and I've never gotten the impression they acted spoonfed, as you say.

But even if that was the case, so long as they're learning and are on par with other students then so be it. I'd rather be perceived as spoonfeeding my students and seeing results, hearing back from many of them years later to learn of their accomplishments since then, receiving gratitude from students who received letters of recommendation for internships and international programs, seeing them apply knowledge gained from my courses in a manner that indicates that what they got out of the class was information for the long term, not just lists of factoids to memorise until the next exam. I don't perceive my style of teaching as spoonfeeding - rather, I take individual time with my students to ensure, to the best of my ability, that their learning styles are being accommodated properly and that their struggles are not a result of my faults as an instructor.

I call on my students every now and then as well, generally on class time I've set aside for review. What I do is I randomise the roster, rather than scan the room for the most anxious or clueless looking face. I do have some colleagues who insist on doing that, but I don't understand what they hope to accomplish besides humiliating someone who is struggling (for any reason). It's one thing to call on someone and receive a blank stare or a mumble, and then to move on to someone else. If you want to incorporate impromptu Q&As like that, be my guest. It's another thing entirely, of course, to purposely embarrass students. And I think it's wise regardless to keep in mind that calling on some people out of the blue is ineffective for them whether they know the answer or not. Adults can have these problems too. It doesn't hurt to be accommodating to your students. It doesn't mean you have to slow down everybody else in the process either.

Re: Non-fandom secrets!

[chardmonster]

I don't want to go into detail, but the university where I work (I'm a TA, not a prof, but we do a lot in my department) has a very well regarded IR program. So I'm not calling the students dumb! Just used to a certain model of education that I'm not sure serves them well. They can do better, because they are bright.

But even if that was the case, so long as they're learning and are on par with other students then so be it.

But are they learning anything, then? Or just learning to regurgitate in such a configuration that you can give them good grades?

I'd rather be perceived as spoonfeeding my students and seeing results,

What results, exactly? If they're being spoonfed, again, are they learning much?

I take individual time with my students to ensure

Okay--see, this is good! The way you were wording things before made it look like you're one of those profs that just shows the class a powerpoint and has them take notes.

This might be the difference between our disciplines talking. I'm in history; what we're doing is teaching students to read primary source documents and utilize individual critical thinking to wrestle with them. They aren't learning specific professional skills; we don't have the sort of transaction learning I think your students expect (i.e. they pay tuition, they expect you to get the information into their heads; they expect the class to adapt to them, the customer, rather than they adapt to the class). The IR students at my university appear to be paying for a certification they can then use to make gobs of money. The history majors are instead learning to think and argue, which they can then apply to a variety of fields. It's a little more idealistic that way--like majoring in English or Creative Writing.

In my discipline, not doing the reading is not being remotely engaged in the class; doing the reading is what you signed on for. It's like showing up to a writing class having not written anything. If students aren't talking, there isn't much going on.

It's another thing entirely, of course, to purposely embarrass students.

I've only seen this happen in two instances. In one, absolutely nobody was speaking, because nobody had done the reading. This shows an utter lack of respect for the prof, the class, and frankly their own tuition money. In the second, the guy was sleeping in the second row. Openly. Snoring. Dude deserved it.

If you're going to single out a student in any other circumstance, you're a jerk.

Re: Non-fandom secrets!

[(Anonymous)]

I had doubts starting out because I wasn't sure how effective I would be as a teacher, but yes, I do think they're learning. Elsewhere I said I often hear back from past students who have furthered their education and have thanked me for taking the time to work with them in a manner that best suits them, rather than sticking to one approach and hoping it helps most of them. I'm sure some of my students walk out of the room and promptly forget everything at the end of the semester, but there's only so much we can do as instructors (or assistants) to convince others to nurture their learning. I've found that showing flexibility and a sincere eagerness to work with my students has yielded the best outcomes when it comes to true absorption.

I may make myself out to be a really lenient teacher that doesn't assign work but I do. I just try to make sure it's useful and something that can be retained. I'm a fairly strict grader (more so when I was teaching language courses) and my classes are not what I would call "easy" As. I try to challenge the people I teach because doing so ensures that many of them will remember the material for the long term. As rigid as my grading can be, I don't let it affect my warmth towards my students and my dedication to their success. There's a very happy medium between being the "best friend" teacher and the "iron fist" teacher, both of which - in my opinion - are more likely to be relatively useless than they are to produce results. I think part of reaching that medium necessitates the use of compassion in the classroom, in such a way that if a student is struggling or - for whatever reason - doesn't know an answer when you spring a question on them, your first course of action isn't to make them feel bad. I'm starting to think that wasn't really what you were saying you do anyway though.